What's a Little Fur Amongst Friends?
by Billie Jukes
Summary: An investigation goes horribly wrong as Conan is attacked by a strange wolflike creature. What follows makes turning into a child seem downright tame.
1. Bad dogie

AN: Welcome the _What's a Little Fur Amongst Friends 2.0_. It's basically the same story, but with more content and (in my opinion) better written.(of course some of the rewrite messes up the continuity in _Shift_ so I might rewrite that next.) I'm keeping the original review responses at the bottom since they might aswer qustions/opinion new reader might have.

$S Scene change  
# - # Action

_Italics_ thoughts

**_Bold Italics _**Shinichi's thoughts (he gets his own format since his inner voice is different than his outer one).

* * *

"Whoever who fight monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster."

-Friedrich Nietzsche; Thus Spake Zarathustra

* * *

**Chapter 1. Bad Dog**

Conan lay in the back seat of the Mori's rental car reading "The Sign of the Four" for the seemingly thousandth time. Ran sat beside her father Kogoro, her eyes on the beautiful woodland scenery they were passing by.

"Now I want you two to be careful. There have been lots of killings by wild animals in this area. I don't want either of you two to wander off, got it?" said Kogoro in an authoritative tone. Even someone as dim-witted as himself was worried. For months the once peaceful area had been victim to some of the most ferocious wolf attacks known to man.

Ran and Conan mumbled inattentive affirmatives. Kogoro sighed and kept driving. _Kids these days_.

Soon the woodlands gave way to a series of houses. Most were fairly sizable, with satellite TV and generators. They pulled into the large driveway of an even larger house. Despite the size, the design was very modest. There was garden in the front and a swing set near the driveway. A family home.

_Not anymore_ thought the Sleeping Detective sadly as he glanced at the yellow crime scene tape. The rental shared a driveway with two squad cars, an ambulance, and a van marked "Animal Control".

He rang the doorbell. A uniformed officer opened the door. "You the detective?" Kogoro nodded. The officer sighed. "Not much for you to do here, but the home owner insisted."

The officer led them into the living room where a heavily bandaged man was sitting in a chair, a doctor looking over him. "You must be Detective Mori." said the man, "I'm Hirota Mihai. Thank you for coming. Your children I take it"

"Ran here's my daughter, Conan just a little freeload-"

"Conan's staying with us while his family is overseas." Explained Ran, having elbowed her father's ribcage.

Mihai smiled gently. "Conan is it? How old are you?"

"Seven sir" _**Going on seventeen. Hopefully**._

Mihai smiled widened, though his eyes filled with tears. "My youngest daughter, Ayame, was your age. She was going to be turning eight next month." He bit back a sob.

# BOP #

"Conan what have I told you about bothering my clients!"

S$

Being little _sucked_. Bad enough he couldn't question witnesses, bad enough no one listened to him, but this? Being told to go out and play on the swing set so the adults could work?

Conan vowed that if he ever had kids, he would treat them like adults and never act like they were blind, stupid, or not there. Because it got old, real fast. At least he could hear what was going on thanks to the transceiver Dr. Agasa had put into his glasses.

And judging by what he was hearing, Hirota Mihai might need a psyche exam. Understandable really. The poor man had watched his wife and daughters get torn apart by a wild animal. It was nothing short of a miracle he himself had survived. Not to mention he had lost an awful lot of blood.

But still… Conan shivered as he remembered the description Mihai had given of his assailant.

_It was a wolf, but not a wolf. I mean it looked like a wolf, especially the head, and it was covered in fur and had a tail and all. But it walked upright, like a human. And it's eyes, they weren't a wolf's eyes. There was intelligence there. Human intelligence. And cruelty. And glee. It saw our pain, and laughed._

Conan suppressed a shudder. It sounded like something out of a bad horror movie. Completely laughable, except the eyes. He himself had seen eyes like those. And Mihai's description sounded a little too…real…to be a fever dream.

**_Okay Kudo, reason this out. Say the killer wasn't a wolf, then what was it? Human. Could the recent wolf attacks have made Mihai think he saw wolf-like features on his killer._**

_**No, then his description would have been a wolf-like human, not a humanesque wolf. Whatever he saw, it was more wolf than human, or at least appeared to be. A human in wolves clothing.**_

_**That could be it! A man wearing a wolf's skin. Or a very good wolf costume. Enough that if someone survived, they'd describe a wolf or wolf-man.**_

_**Of course, there is the possibility that it really was a wolf. People have seen stranger things when hysterical. But it doesn't seem likely a wild wolf would enter someone's house, much less climb two stories of stairs to engage in wholesale slaughter. A trained wolf maybe? If so, whose pulling the strings.**_

_**Lot's of possibilities, time for the evidence to tell which of them is accurate.**_

Hopping off the swing set, Conan went around to the back door aka the point of entry.

_**Oh yeah. That's the point of entry all right. Strange though. That's a pretty think door, but it's been torn to shreds. There are no tool marks, but neither a human nor a wolf should be able to do that kind of damage.**_

While the yard was well kept, the area immediately out it was overgrown with weeds taller than Conan, making the path the killer took obvious enough for even Kogoro to follow. Animal Control certainly had. Their boot marks had covered up any possible prints. Sighing Conan followed the trail.

_**Come on, Come on! Give me something. A scrap of fabric, an unmarked paw print. Something.**_

As if in response to his silent wish, something grey caught his eye.

Yay Transfer!

Conan picked it up, feeling the fibers. It was hair. Way too coarse for human hair, but not coarse enough for wolf fur. Not synthetic either. In fact, Conan had no idea what it was from.

So intent was he on the hair/fur that he never noticed the shadow that had spread over him. Not until he heard a soft growling coming from behind him.

Slowly, not making any sudden movements, Conan turned around. His brain ground to a halt as he tried to take in what he was seeing.

$S

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Ran dropped her teacup, the china shattering on the hardwood floor and Conan's scream pierced the air. In a flash she was up and running towards the door.

"Don't!" cried her father, trying to hold her back. "Let the police handle it!"

"No" whispered Mihai to himself, clutching his head,tears running down his face "Not another child, not like Ayame."

Ran effortlessly pushed her father away and ran towards the backyard.

# BANG #

"Don't shoot, you idiot, you'll hit the kid!"

"It's okay, it dropped him when I winged it!"

"CONAN! CONAN WHERE ARE YOU!" screamed Ran, following the path to where a few cops were trying to administer first aid to a very bloody seven year old who was still screaming, his wide eyes seeing nothing but a monster holding him in it's clutches.

S$$S

AN: This is dedicated to my Friend Dea, who introduced me to Case Closed. She's also my beta/muse and helped me more that I can say. Kudo's to her (pun partially intended)


	2. Bad Moon Rising

Disclaimer: (cuz I apparently forgot it, weird, i remember typing it) I don't own Case Closed/Detective Conan or any of the character from it. IfI did, I would have Ai make me up a batch of Apotoxin and return to the age of 9. See Peter Pan, I'll have my eternal childhood, with or without your help BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Conan: Is she always like this

Mars: Yup, better get used to it

* * *

_"Did they have Mommies that make it go away in the late Cretatious era" _

_-Carl Wheezer; Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius_

* * *

**Chapter 2. Bad Moon Rising**

Several nurses held down the small boy, while the doctors stitched up his wounds. The loud wailing had subdued to quiet whimpering. The boy was feeling no pain, the anesthesiologists had seen to that. However in his barely cognitive state, his mind seemed to be back in the forest, still in the monster's grasp.

"Excuse me, are you the Edogawa's?" a nurse asked Ran and Kogoro who were waiting anxiously in the waiting room.

"No, but we're looking after Conan while his parents are out of the country." Ran explained. "He is okay, right?"

"He's fine." assured the nurse."He's out of Intensive Care. You can see him now if you'd like."

Without another word, Ran was off and running.

$S

Conan was sitting up in his hospital bed. The stronger medication had worn off, leaving him a clear state of mind, though thankfully still rather numb in the torso. Absently he rubbed his stomach, feeling the bandages that covered his new stitches. It was incredible. As both Shinichi Kudo and Conan Edogawa he had witnessed to lowest of the low, humans who could barley be called such. It was strange that one animal attack could inspire such a lasting fear in him. That...that..

_Monster_

That was the only way Conan could think about the beast. It was The Monster. The Boogeyman. The Big Bad Wolf.

He was supposed to be Seventeen. He was supposed to be above this stuff. He wasn't supposed to be afraid of things that went bump in the night. But right now he was. Right now he felt more Conan Edogawa than Shinichi Kudo. He wanted to have Ran hold him and tell him it was okay, not vice-versa. He wanted to hear the adult platitudes that so often annoyed him because they suddenly seemed oh so reassuring. This was hardly the first time his life had been in danger, but this seemed worse.Why did he have to act mature anyways? Maybe for once he could just act his (apparent) age...

"_Conan!"_ Ran almost skidded past the room, much to the annoyance of a few nurses.

"Ran-neechan!" he tried to smile bravely, but didn't have time as he was enveloped in a huge bear hug.

There was some slight pain from both his stitches and his ego, but he couldn't care less. For the first time since the attack he felt safe and loved. And that was all that mattered. Finally, it seemed like the nightmare was over.

$S

_One month after the attack_

"And THAT is how you killed your brother, Antonia Garini."

The italian woman shrieked. "How could you have known? Curse you Mori!"

As the policemen carried her off, Conan smirked from behind the sleeping detective. His outlook had changed a lot over the past month. Somehow, he felt less resentful of his child form. He didn't know what it was, perhaps his near-death experience with the wolf had made him appreciate having any life at all. Simple things that had once annoyed him now brought a smile on his face. When faced with oblivion, having a bunch of kids asking you to play tag wasn't a pain at all. In fact the game of tag itself suddenly seemed a hell of a lot more fun than it used to.

Oh course, just because he had been getting more into being a kid, didn't mean he wasn't still solving Mori's cases for him. After all, they had to eat. Although he didn't really feel like eating at the moment. Actually he felt a little sick. Oh well, hopefully he would be feeling better by the time they got home.

Ran helped him into the rental car they were using. She had been a lot more careful with him since the attack. Secretly he was glad of it, his physical scars may have been just a memory (Thank _GOD_ for the ability of a child's body to bounce back from almost anything), but he was still haunted by nightmares. Conan's hand unconsciously went to his torso where the wounds had been. As if triggered by the subconscious action, a strong wave of nausea hit him. It took all of his willpower to suppress it, but Kogoro would not have been happy if Conan had thrown up all over the car.

S$

"Conan, Dinner" Ran called from the kitchen. After the case Conan had shut himself in his room. Ran was worried; she had noticed several times that day when her psuedo-brother had been staring of into space, clutching the phantom injuries. She wished her father wasn't so against the idea of hiring a child psychologist. If Conan's mental state didn't improve soon, she was going behind his back and hiring one anyway.

"Go away" came a rather petulant voice from his bedroom.

Ran sighed and walked to the door. "Dinner's ready. You have to eat,"

"Don't wanna. Leave me alone."

A determined look on her face, Ran opened the door. She might be calling that psychologist sooner than she thought

One look at Conan, though, and she realized that the events of the previous month were the least of her worries. Conan was shivering under a thick blanket; his face was flushed and his breathing was uneven. Ran gently kissed his forehead and felt a fever burn under her lips. "Oh Conan, why didn't you _tell_ me you were sick?"

"Didn't want to worry you" he mumbled.

"Well you should have thought of that before you got this bad." She said, pulling back his blanket. "I'm going to serve Dad his dinner, then I'll be right back with some medicine for you. And don't pull the covers back on, it will make your fever worse."

Despite what he felt was freezing air, Conan obeyed. But it did him no good, by the time she had returned Conan's fever had risen and the boy was obviously miserable. Ran popped a thermometer in his mouth, revealing a temperature that was high, but not panic level. She gave him a spoon full of pediatric medicine, which he dutifully swallowed before plopping back down on his pillow, falling asleep almost immediately afterwards. Ran sat beside him for a while afterwards, checking his temperature every now and then. It didn't go down, but it didn't get any worse either. As she looked at the sleeping child she couldn't help but smile. He was so brave, her little soldier always trying to protect her and keep her from worrying. Too bad Shinichi wasn't that considerate. Why couldn't he be more like Conan? Affectionately she ran her hand though his hair, straightening out the clumps glued together by sweat. Her fingers froze when they hit his ears.

_Pointy? Conan doesn't have pointy ears_. Ran looked down where her fingers were and almost collapsed from shock. Not only were his ear pointed, they were moving! Ran could hardly believe her eyes as they shifted toward the top of his head. At the same time he beginning to make a whimpering sound in his throat, his face scrunching up in pain.

Ran yanked her hand away from her pseudo-brother. _This is impossible...  
_

S$$S

AN: regarding the forehead kiss. The lips are one of the parts of the body most sensitive to heat, so kissing is a good way to gauge temperature if you don't have a thermometer handy

**LilAznSp0nge:** Hope that answers your question. What can I say, I'm a sucker for werewolves.

**Sailor Greeny:** I was wondering if someone would catch that. I prefer the japanese names ( I just love the name Shinichi!) However, I have an uncle in RL who acts exactly like Kogoro, whose named Richard, so that name is ingrained in the character for me. Sorry if this is confusing to anyone. _-(AN: Due to complaints recieved in emails, I have since changed this, thank you)_

**Flava Sava:** Glad you liked the chapter. Hope you enjoyed this one. BTW, is your name a Filmore referance, or is that just coincidence?

**Kuki Lunestar:** Again, glad you liked it

**Hunter 1:** Glad you liked both stories. Don't worry, the next part of Cracked Reflections should be up soon. I've been having computer trouble (Took me five hours to load the first chapter of this story). Hopefully I won't have to face the wrath of the guniea pig.

**Gringo:** Yet again, glad you liked it.

**Darkwolf707:** Thanks, though for the life of me I have no idea where this plot came from.

Oh and in case anyone's wondering about the quote at the top, I heard it the other day and it just reminded me of how I wanted Conan to feel about the "Monster"


	3. School Bells

* * *

"_Let's force him to be our friend" _

_- Ayumi Yoshida, "Meitantei Conan"_

* * *

**Chaper 3. School Bells**

"What's wrong Ran, you seemed distracted this morning," Kogoro inquired. Indeed his daughter, who was usually a morning person, looked like she hadn't slept a wink.

Ran yawned "It's nothing Dad, Conan was... sick last night. He was running a pretty high fever so I sat next to him all night."

The detective snorted. "You coddle the brat too much."

"Conan is not a brat, Dad. And I guess I'll just have to remember you don't approve of 'coddling' sick people next time you get a cold."

Kogoro sputtered. Ran grabbed a few slices of plain white bread and returned to Conan's room.

S$

"Eat this." She told Conan, handing him the bread. "See if you can keep it down."

Wordlessly Conan took a slice of bread and ate it slowly. "Thanks for not telling him." he said.

Ran blinked, "You heard?"

"I hear _everything_." said Conan, a haunted look in his eyes. "I smell everything. Everything's so strange, so overwhelming. I don't want to believe it."

Ran shivered, "Maybe it was just a dream?"

"Ran _don't_." he said insistently, sounding older."It wasn't a dream, it happened. And there's no point in trying to pretend it didn't happen, because it will happen again next month. And the month after that and the month after that. There is only one truth." He took a deep breath, wishing he could deny what he was about to say. "I'm a werewolf."

Ran winced at the term she had been avoiding since last night. "Conan, there's no such thing as..."

He silenced her with a look. Not an angry look, but a scared one."I don't want to believe it either, but look at the facts. I was attacked by something that looked like it was a cross between a man and a wolf. Last night I turned into something similar. I can hear and smell things no human could hear or smell, don't tell me I'm not a werewolf." He started fingering the holes in his sheets accidentally made by his claws last night, suddenly unable to meet Ran's eyes. "Like the Monster..." he whispered.

Ran felt her chest constrict. The trauma from the attack had just gotten a thousand times worse, and at this point there wasn't a thing a psychologist could do. She leaned in and hugged him "You're not a monster, Conan. A bit on the fluffy side maybe, but not a monster."

"How am I any different from the _thing_ that attacked me? I'm the same as the monster that killed all those people."

"Don't you _ever_ say that." Ran said sternly. "Truth be told I _was_ scared when I first felt you changing beneath my fingers. But when you looked at me and asked what was happening - I realized you hadn't changed at all, not really. You're not a monster Conan, and don't you ever think otherwise."

For this first time a hint of a smile appeared on his lips, albeit a sad one, "What do I do Ran? This isn't going to go away."

She pursed her lips, deep in thought. It was true that they needed help to deal with this. It had to be someone they could trust absolutely , someone who wouldn't endanger Conan."Maybe Dr. Agasa can help."

"What can Dr.Agasa do? He's a inventor, not a superstition expert."

"Do you have a better idea?" Ran inquired, "I thought not."

"You're right," he admitted. "We can go see him after school."

A shocked look came over Ran's face."School? You can't go to school! Not like that!"

"Like what? I'm lacking the fur coat and tail. I don't even feel sick anymore." Truth be told the sickness had passed once the transformation was complete, though he did feel pretty weak the whole night, "And I _have_ to go, otherwise the others will know I'm a werewolf."

Ran raised an eyebrow, "Run that by me again."

He sighed, "They asked me about the Monster. Mitsuhiko recognized it as a werewolf, which meant since it bit me I was a werewolf too. I told him he was being ridiculous. At least I thought he was."

"I still don't think..."

"I _need_ to go to school Ran-neechan. Because otherwise I'm going to be dwelling on this all day. I need to do something normal."

Ran sighed. "Fine. But if something happens I want you to come home pronto, got it?"

"Got it." Conan sniffed the air. "Is there any bacon left?"

S$

One large breakfast later (transforming apparently took a lot of energy), Conan was ready to face the day, and hopefully his friends.

The Shonen Tantei were waiting for Conan in the same spot the usually were. However, the normally cheerful faces were replaced by suspicious ones.

**_Perfect. Dern it, you just _had _to watch "An American Werewolf in Paris" didn't you Mitsuhiko_**. "Hey guys, what's up?" Conan asked trying to sound cheerful.

"It was a full moon last night" said Genta with all the subtly of a brick.

"So" asked Conan, with practiced innocence.

"Did anything _unusual_ happen last night?" asked Mitsuhiko in the same tone as an officer questioning a suspect.

**_I'd say 'You don't know know the half of it', but the problem is you have a pretty good idea._** "I got pretty sick last night. I was running a fever so Neechan sat up with me."

"Wait, Ran-neechan was with you? The whole time?" In an instant all their suspicion melted. If Ran-neechan had stayed with him all night, nothing could have happened. The Shonen Tantei, once again convinced their friend was himself, continued on their path to school, Ayumi looking definitively relieved.

S$

_Did you guys notice anything weird about Conan this morning?_

-Mitsuhiko

_No_

-Genta

_He was acting too cheerful_

-Ayumi

_Exactly. That was the same 'I'm just a little kid' act he gives the grown ups. He's hiding something._

-Mitsuhiko

_You think he really is a werewolf? Maybe he was lying about Ran-neechan staying with him all night?_

-Genta

_I think he's mad at us. I mean, he told us and told us he wasn't a werewolf, and we didn't believe him. Then we acted all suspicious of him this morning._

-Ayumi

_True_

-Mitsuhiko

_Uh-oh_

-Genta

Conan grinned, feeling an honest wave of gratitude towards Ayumi. She was right, or at least would have been had things gone normally. It was nice to know someone actually paid attention to how he acted enough to predict behavior patterns. It was also interesting to know his friends whispered out loud when they read notes. Not loud enough for anyone to hear of course, at least not anyone human. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

The teacher had apparently decided to scare her students today. She was showing them some high school and college level math problems and explaining how the basic skills of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division were the key to solving them. None of the kids had started crying yet, but some were close.

Conan was not one of them. Having been through some of those courses, they weren't quite as scary, besides he had finally found something more interesting to do. As he had stated that morning his senses of hearing and smell had increased exponentially and he was discovering he could see the world as clearly through his ears and nose as his eyes. He was hearing things muttered softly under breath. Every rustle of the pages, every tap of the foot, he heard it all. Everything, and he meant _everything_, had it's own scent. And the scent of where it had been, who touched it, there was a wealth of information just wafting through the room and he didn't even have to get out of his seat.

"_EDOGAWA CONAN_!"

Of course there was something to be said for not losing yourself in your senses so deeply you don't realize your sensei has been calling your name. The werewolf snapped to attention, "Uh... Yes?"

"Answer the question on the chalkboard."

Easy escape, all he had to do was answer a simple question and he was off the hook. Conan studied the problem for a moment. "(3xy2)(5z)/4ac" he answered.

The teacher was about to correct him when she stopped dead, then glanced between her notes and the chalkboard, her jaw hanging open like a fish. Everyone in the classroom stopped to look at Conan. The shrunken detective belatedly realized he hadn't answered the question she meant (5-3), but one of her examples of high school math. And answered it correctly.

_Is being a werewolf supposed to make you super-smart?_

-Genta

_Actually I think it's supposed to make you dumb, like a wild animal._

-Mitsuhiko

_I thought we covered this. Stop it with the werewolves!_

-Ayumi

Conan smirked, it looked like Mitsuhiko's movie wasn't entirely accurate. It was like Ran had said, _he _hadn't changed one bit.

The teacher, who was still a bit pale, saw the un-childlike smirk and shuddered. She didn't call on Conan once the rest of the day and didn't even scold the Detective Boys for passing notes.

S$$S

**Oel:** Yes, long live the werewolves!

**Raven theWhite:** DEA #glomps# My muse, MINE!

**YumeTakato:** Glad you find this interesting, hope it's out soon enough.

**Flava Sava:** Knew it :P Glad you liked the chapter

**darkwolf707:** danke. Here's the update.

**anomaly:** ditto

**Corrina99**: Update is here


	4. Dog Whistles

* * *

Quote: I used to be a werewolf, but I'm much better noooooooowwwaaarrroooooooo

(yes it's corny)

* * *

**Chapter Four: Dog Whistles**

"Bye Conan" Ayumi waved to him.

Conan waved back as he weaved through the crowd of parents. It was always such a zoo when elementary school ended, the kids that could walk home themselves were lucky, in his opinion. Normally he'd be one of them, but Ran had wanted to be with him when they went to see Dr. Agasa, even going so far as taking off from school early to do so.

One thing Lycanthropy was good for, it gave him a definite edge for tracking people. There were more scents than one could shake a stick at, but most of them were unfamiliar and easily pushed aside till he found one of the few scents he recognized. _Mom._

Conan stopped dead in horror, shoved the thought to the back of his mind, force fed it cyanide, shot it repeatedly, then made it commit seppuku. Ran was his childhood friend, the love of his life, not his _MOM! _

The unsettling thought was still in his head when Ran found him. She took one look at his face and scooped him up. "Are you okay? Did anything happen!"

"I'm _fine_" he whispered back insistently. "Can you put me down?"

She smiled sadly and complied. "I'm sorry, I was just worrying all day since….well, you know." She squeezed his hand.

"I know" Conan took in for a moment just how brave she was. Not just because she wasn't scared of the fact that he was a werewolf, but because she wasn't breaking down. Her perceptions of reality had completely shifted, the proverbial rug yanked form beneath her feet, yet her only thought was of helping him.

_**Ran**_, he thought, **_I really don't deserve you_.**

S$

"Anybody home?" Ran called out as she and Conan entered Dr. Agasa's house.

**_I've been wracking my brain all day trying to think of some way to explain this and I've still got zip. If it weren't for the constant flow of information I'm getting from my senses _I_ wouldn't even believe it. _**Idely Conan remembered the night he had shrunk, how hard it had been to convince Agasa that he was himself.** _Hopefully he's more open-minded now._**

They switched out their shoes for slippers and ventured into the house, to be met by a somewhat flustered Dr. Agasa. "Sorry, I was in the other room with Ai-kun. She's caught a nasty flu bug."

Conan nodded. Personally he was glad she was out today. He had a feeling she wouldn't have been very forgiving about that slip in math class.

Ran took a deep breath "Conan's a werewolf."

From the other side of the wall came the sound of chicken soup being spat across the room.

Dr. Agasa sputtered and Conan facefaulted_ **Not how I would have broken the news**_

Agasa did his best to compose himself. "Very good, you almost had me." he laughed, looking expectantly and them to join in.

More than anything else, Conan wanted to say yes. That this was all some kind of twisted joke, and of course there were no such things as werewolves. He almost did, over a year in his shrunken condition had sadly given him a impulse for lying when he was in trouble. The only thing that stopped him was Ran's courage. The same courage that had allowed her to survive a childhood where she was stripped of one parent and forced to parent the other herself, the courage that kept her together while Shinichi was "gone"; that was what was keeping her through this, at his side. There was no way he was going to betray that, betray _her_. He'd rather die...

"It's true Doc, I'm a w...werewolf," he stumbled over the word, still so hard to say and believe, "just like the Monster that attacked me." Conan gulped, somehow telling him that was harder than telling Agasa when he had shrunk. He only managed it because _she_ was there.

"Werewolves don't exist" said Ai plainly as she stumbled in from the next room, looking like death warmed over. She wobbled a bit, her balance off from her cold. "People that magically turn from humans to wolves under the light of the full moon are a biological impossibility." The diminutive scientist was cut off as her balance failed her and she fell across one of the Professor's inventions.

A cross between a scream and a howl tore from Conan's throat as he clamped his hands over his ears, his face clenched in agony. He sunk to he knees, as if trying to protect himself.

"Conan, what's _wrong_?" asked Ran. He was obviously in so much pain, but she couldn't see _anything_ that could be causing it.

"That sound...that horrible sound...make it stop...it _hurts_! I'll do anything...please make it stop..." Conan whimpered.

"What sound? Conan I don't hear anything?" Ran looked desperately at Ai and Agasa, but they only shook their heads, having no clue what was torturing their friend.

Metaphorically speaking, a light bulb went off in Agasa's head. He went over to the device Ai had fallen against and flipped a few switches..

The results were instantaneous. Conan collapsed with relief. He lay bonelessly on the floor trying to even out his breathing. "What...Doc what WAS that?"

"A synthetic soundwave I've been working on, similar to an amplified dog whistle only with longer range. I've been having a hard time testing it since it plays on a wavelength beyond human heari…" Agasa stopped dead in his explanation.

Humans simply couldn't hear sound at that wavelength. Numerous tests and the plain fact that Ran, Ai and himself couldn't hear it supported that fact. But Conan _could _hear it. Not just hear it but be crippled by it.

Human's couldn't hear it.

Conan could.

Conan...wasn't human?

"I think I need to run some more tests." muttered Agasa

$S

"I don't understand it," Dr. Agasa thought aloud, shaking his head. "His senses of hearing and scent are dramatically increased. His eyes are more adept at catching movement, though his color vision has dulled. Some definite abnormal responses have developed…"

Conan gave the scientist a mild glare, a blush spreading across his cheeks. The Doctor had accidentally-on-purpose dropped a tennis ball and he had pounced on it like a cat on a ball of yarn before realizing what he was doing. As if Ai didn't already consider him a great source of amusement.

"…Yet despite the obvious changes, I can't find _anything_ wrong. Absolutely nothing different in the circulatory, vascular, or endocrine system at all, much less something that would explain changes on this level."

Ai nodded. Since Ran was there she had to play the part of the little girl, but she had been observing the whole thing. And it made her nervous. Agasa hadn't made any mistakes as far as she could tell, yet he must have missed _something_. All problems had a source and a solution. Everything was caused by something else. All this werewolf stuff bordered supernatural, something that as a scientist she _couldn't _believe in.

His turning into a wolf was obviously some sort of hallucination he and Ran shared, possibly caused by the mental trauma of his attack combined with the illness he had. The enhanced senses might have been caused by something affecting his adrenaline, perhaps a delayed side effect of the apotoxin. The glint of fangs he had shown when hakase referred to him as a puppy was her mind playing tricks on her due to her own illness. Of course no one else was aware of this inner denial loop. When Gin and Vodka weren't involved, she had a pokerface worthy of a Kuroba.

It wasn't until Agasa's last test that her pokerface broke. Ai didn't know why the professor wanted to try to give Conan a shot of adrenaline. What result could he possibly be hoping for? Personal theories aside, adrenaline _hadn't_ been part of last night's story, so why was he using it as a variable?

Needless to say there _was_ a result. Conan started twitching, not unlike a little child that can't keep still, then he _changed_.

Ai's eyes widened at fur sprouted all over the meitantei's body. She couldn't bring herself to take in the whole picture. She only saw bits and pieces. Clawed hands, a swishing tail, golden eyes, sharp fangs. _Not possible_ _Not possible_ _Not possible_ _Not possible_

Mentally, Conan himself wasn't doing all that better than Ai. Between the illness and the medicine, he had been out of it most of the previous night, and could only vaguely remember what happened. This was the first time he was truly aware of what was happening to himself, _feeling_ himself change inside and out. And Kami, he thought his sense were heightened this morning? He could literally smell emotions (or rather the delicate shift in body chemistry that marked emotions)! Comforting concern radiated from Ran, she had seen this before and accepted it. Agasa was filled with surprise and not a little curiosity. From Ai came feelings of disbelief and fear. Fear?

Ai was afraid of him.

Ai, who could stare at her own death unemotionally, who could aim a gun at a person without flinching, was scared of him. The only people who scared her were monsters like the members of the Black Organization.

**_Monsters, I'm a monster..._** Conan looked down at his own clawed hands, and fled.

S$$S

AN: Don't read too deeply into the "Mom" thing. Conan's head is a bit off a mess right now. And let's face it, Ran's the only real Mom he's had.

**DiamondSapphire**: Glad you like it. And no I don't know why original response to tis review was cut..

**Colleen**: Yeah, I'm a sucker for werewolves too. Although truth be told I see Shinichi as more of a vampire, I think someone was already doing that

**Onee-san**: Persoanlly I always felt cheated during the "And he/she woke up and it was always a dream." Poor Conan is really a werewolf

**FirePendant**: Yeah, the Japanese names rock. And I agree Conan would make a cute werewolf, that's Why I wrote this.

**YumeTakato**: yeah, math is scary. The fact that my Mom's a math major doesn't help.

**mistressKC – wanteddeadoralive**: Glad you like

**Electrobomb**: Sir? Er, I'm a girl. About the whole attacking the BO #Very Wide Evil Grin#

Mars: Kami-sama, You gave her IDEAS

**LilAznSp0nge**: The smirk is for the irony of the situation. The problem the teacher _wanted_ Conan to solve was 5-3, he was looking at the wrong one. The question in my head was one of those quadratic equation thingys (not sure if it's algebra or not)

**Skye-Chan12**: Danke

**FlavaSava**: Well here it is

**Jewely**: I have…plans…regarding Shinichi's comeback. Won't happen for a while though.

**Phoebe Holly**: Glad you like the originality. I hate doing something ordinary (to quote Ron Stoppable: Never be Normal!

**PRIVATE:** Great movie. And Yea it was high time Conan got turned into a werewolf

**Engelina**: As mentioned, I have plans regarding Shinichi BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

**Anomaly**: Okay, I know this isn't soon in any sense of the word, but…

**Song-Obsessed1**: Glad you find it interesting. Again, it's not "soon", sorry

**silver fang :** O.O wants the wolf paraphernalia

**siver fang**: Yeah, gonna do a flashback sequence on that later

**joseph**: glad you like it

**Inumaru12**: Now it's updated .


	5. It's late, and I'm too tired to think of...

* * *

Quote: "What's next? Werewolves?"-Conan Edogawa

* * *

Me: #points# Look look, he asked for it. 

Conan: -.-; I'd hardly call that 'Asking for it'

Me: XD

**Chapter 5. It was late and I was too tired to think of a real title...**

"Conan! Conan come back!" called Ran, as she and Agasa tried to follow him. But fear and adrenaline mixed with already enhanced abilities ensured that the young lycanthrope was long gone. Both Ran and the professor searched the surrounding area, Ran still calling his name.

_Right, like he's just going to show himself _thought Ai sarcastically. She hadn't left the front door, not because she felt too sick to search, but because she saw the effort as futile. _He's running scared. He's terrified of himself and will want to put distance between himself and us. Given that fact, he'll hardly come when he's called..._

_On the other hand, it's not like he can really go anywhere. Since adrenaline caused his…transformation... I'm guessing he can't change back until it's out of his system, i.e. when he calms down. Don't see that happening anytime soon. He'll want to keep out of sight, which means he's probably hiding nearby, to minimize the chance of exposure. So where did he go…_

$S

"I keep telling you, Kudo, you're too predictable" said Ai in her usual dry tones.

"Shut up" muttered a rather petulant looking pile of fluff. Conan was on his bed (the one at his own house, not the one at the Mori's) curled up into a little ball

"Mori-san and Agasa-hagase are looking for you"

"Go away," he grumbled.

"How mature. Just like a puppy."

"I am _not_ a _**puppy**_!" He growled, definitely showing his fangs.

Ai stiffled a shudder. "Excuse me if I'm not convinced. You really upset Mori-san. She's already so worked up over your Shinichi identity, keep her worrying about Conan and she's likely to burst, you know."

The werewolf glared at her, but refrained from growling again. This time it was a giggle Ai stiffled, though she would never admit it, he looked more adorable than intimidating. "That's dirty pool _Shiho_"

The mention of her old name did what the glare had failed to. For a spilt second the faux girl grimaced before regaining her icy expression. "So how long were you planning to stay up here?"

"I…I'm not sure. You have no idea what it's like to not be yourself anymore."

A wry grin spread across Ai face. "Of course I have no idea what it's like to one's body suddenly and painfully change form and know that things will never be the same again."

Conan looked her in the eye. "No, you don't." he said quietly. "We may have given these forms different names, but once upon a time the bodies we call Edogawa Conan and Haibara Ai were once Kudo Shinichi and Miyano Shiho. They're the bodies of who we were a decade ago. As strange as it is to regain them, they're still intimately familiar to us. We know how the work, how they feel and how they'll grow. This….. look at me Haibara," He reached out and grabbed her with one clawed hand.

"_I'm not **human** anymore_. I can smell my old scent, the scent of Kudo Shinichi in this room. It's pretty much an older verion of the Conan scent in my room at the detective agency. But it's not the same anymore. The scent is so close to mine, but there's this wrongness to it. Everytime time I inhale I'm reminded of what I've become. Everything I am is changing. I just want to be me again! Not this...this **monster**." He released her and for the first time since the full moon had risen, he allowed himself to cry.

Ai hoisted herself up on the bed. Comforting people was _not_ her forte. All she could offer was the blunt truth. "You're right. You're not human any more. The odds of you becoming completely human again are in all probability worse than returning to your true age. You have become something that people fear and dread, something most won't even bother to understand. But you're also wrong. Becoming a monster has nothing to do with the form you wear, but rather the conscious decision to walk that path. Yes, your body has an annoying tendency to refuse to stay the same shape for too long. but your mind, motives, your _self_ hasn't changed in the slightest. You didn't let my apotoxin stop you and there's no reason you should let this. Besides, given the inhumanity inherent in the human creature, you might even be less of a monster than before." She slid off the bed and started to walk away. "I'm going to inform hakase and Mori-san that you aren't halfway to Osaka. I want you to calm down and decide what you're going to do."

Haibara left without another word, leaving Conan alone with his thoughts. He stared into the mirror, at the face so horribly changed, but still somehow recognizable as him.

"I guess she was right. I _am_ just a puppy."

$S

Conan yawned loudly and rested his head against Ran's neck. Normally his independent streak would never have let him be carried piggyback all the way back to the detective agency, but exhaustion seemed to overrule independence.

Ran smiled at the young boy, proud beyond what she could say. "You were very brave today, Conan."

"Not really," he murmured, half asleep already. "I ran away."

"But you came back." she said, smiling gently. "And sometimes that takes more courage than staying in the first place. Is shape-shifting really that tiring?"

"Seems so. Once wasn't so bad, but going back and forth so much really wore me out." he stifled a yawn. "Either that of I'm crashing from all the adrenaline Doc gave me. Next time he can wait till the Full Moon."

"At least it didn't seem to hurt you like last night." Ran pointed out, "That's a good sign."

"I guess. Each time I transformed, it hurt less, like my body was slowly getting used to it. Do you think I could control like the werewolves do in the movies?"

"I guess so. The Monster was transformed when he attacked you , so..." Ran broke off, Conan's self image had taken enough of a hit as was. The last thing he needed to be reminded of was the one who did it to him.

He did seem lost in thought for a few minutes, but not depressed like he had been. When he finally he spoke up his voice was thoughtful. "Ran, I spent most of last night and this afternoon as a werewolf, right?"

"Right' answered Ran hesitantly

"And I never lost control, never went crazy like in the movies. I remembered who I was and that I was human, right?"

"Right"

"So does that mean that the Monster was perfectly aware of what he was doing? That he was in his right mind when he killed and maimed all those people."

Ran pursed her lips together. "I suppose it does. Though I hesitate to say that whoever committed those acts was in his right mind. He knew what he was doing, and it was the so-called human part of him that decided to attack those families."

"Good" said Conan. "Then he's just another murderer. I'll catch him and make him pay, just like all the other murderers." With one final yawn, he succumbed to a peaceful sleep, not quite happy, but at least content.

$S

He had always liked the park, it was a good place for playing soccer, hanging out, or finding new dead bodies.

But ever since his 'change' he felt truly at home there, more so than anywhere else really. The wolf's instincts he felt were more at home in the pseudo forest than in the streets and buildings. But he wasn't in the middle of the wilderness where his more human side would be completely lost. Still at the moment the wolf was more in control now. After all it's abilities had evolved for this very purpose.

Conan was hunting.

The trick was not to look to suspicious about it. Didn't want to disturb anyone who might see him after all. He still had to look and act like a human, while he tracked his prey as only a wolf can.

Oh sure he could have used his brain, but that would have been way too easy.

Though his prey lacked any sense of smell whatsoever, he still stayed downwind. It wasn't long before he found the small clump of bushes where the human boy had settled down, desperately (and futilely) trying to hide from him. A small rustle told the hunter he prey was peeking out at the other other side of the bushes

_Looking for me!_ he realized, _Trying to find me before I find him. Unfortunately it's too late for that._

Silently Conan moved behind the bush and pounced.

Genta's scream echoed through the park.

$S

Mitsuhiko rolled his eyes. "He found you too, huh?"

Genta huffed. "I'm never played 'Hide and Seek' with you again!"

Conan's grin grew slightly fanged, though no one really noticed...

S$$S

Engelina – Thanks. Actually the ending to that chap was supposed to be completely different. But my history as an angst writer reared its ugly head and threw off my timeline. Glad to hear you liked it.

starfruit-22 – 'icic'? Not sure what that means, but I'm glad you liked it regardless.

Tabbytha – glad you like it. I'm am bound and determined to finish this one, no matter what!

Jax9 – I will!

Anomaly - cringes I'm sorry. I had a literal computer bug! And this time my last minute change of ending to chapter four through me off. I should get the next chapter out faster…I think.

Juli-chan – I think being the kind of werewolf that goes on a rampage every full moon would kinds destroy Shinichi. Being the self sacrificing guy he is, he'd prolly take a silver bullet to make sure he didn't hurt anyone. Not on my watch! And while I have the mechanics of lycanthropy (aka werewolfism) worked out to where I want them in this story, feel free to email me a . I'd love to swap theories .

DiamondSapphire – couldn't think of any other way that Agasa would believe him . Glad it turned out okay.

YumeTakato – Yah it was. Like the ending it was a last minute addition, and probably my sublimial venting at the Kudo's parenting techniques. 'Late Night Insights' is a better example of this. Still one must admit she's a damn good mother to him.

Xeno – Glad you like it. Here the update


	6. The Second Full Moon

* * *

"How would you feel if you were turning into a wolf against your will?"

"Itchy?"-Wendy and Peter. "Big Bad" (an interactive story on 'The Pirates Cove' message board)

* * *

**Chapter 6. The Second Full Moon**

It was going to be a full moon that night. And Conan knew it. And not just because he had been watching the calendar with an almost obsession, either. _Something_ inside him knew instinctively. His inner wolf, as it were, knew tonight was the night it got to come out and play. And like a child, it wasn't patient. All day Conan was filled with a mixture of anticipation and dread. And as a result he could not. Sit. Still. All day long at school he fidgeted in his chair, watching the clock. And for the life of him he couldn't concentrate on his work. If he hadn't already known the material for years, he would have been in big trouble. He was already in trouble with the teacher for chewing gum in class. (Not that it was his fault that werewolf cubs apparently had a strong desire to chew things. And he'd take gum over a bone any day.)

When school let out he ran home, a lot faster than he should have been able to. Much to his dismay, the house was empty. A quick check of the clock told him that Ran wasn't due home yet. And who knew/cared where Kogoro was?

"Grrrrrrr" he growled, and to his dismay felt himself change slightly. He took a few deep breaths, trying to quell the adrenaline in his system.**_ Get a grip Kudo, going fuzzy early is not going to help. Keep your cool, Ran'll be back soon, right?_**

$S

"Come on Ran, you promised!"

"Really, Sonoko, today's not good day."

"Not a good day?" The blonde was flabbergasted at her friend's blasphemy. "There was never a better day for shopping!"

Ran sighed. She couldn't believe she promised to go shopping with Sonoko today, without checking the lunar calendar. _A habit I'd better get into. _"I kind of already promised Conan I'd spend the day with him."

Sonoko rolled her eyes and pulled out a cell phone. Without even looking she dialed the detective agency.

"Ran-neechan!" came the franticly hopeful voice over the line. Ran felt her stomach drop out. He had to be so scared. This was going to be his first time transformed _knowing_ he was going to transform and be unable to regain his human self for several hours.

"Sorry squirt, I got her for today." said Sonoko, wholly unaware of her best friend's guilt trip or Conan''s impending mental trauma.

"But…but…"

Ran snatched the phone up "Conan, I'm sorry, I forgot I had promised to go shopping with Sonoko. I can come home right away."

Sonoko glared.

"That's okay, Ran-neechan," As much as he wanted her there ASAP, she had more than earned some time off from watching him. "Just try to be back by supper."

_Meaning Moonrise, got it. _Ran acknowledged the hidden message. _"_I will Conan. You should get some rest, you're probably going to be up all night."

Sonoko reached over and switched off the phones power. "Enough with Chibi-chan. He's knows you're okay, let's go shopping!"

$S

_**Stay calm Kudo. She'll be back in time, and then we'll head over to Dr. Agasa's like we planned so he can try and study a difference between an adrenaline transformation and a full moon one. There's nothing I can do in the meantime, so I should probably take a nap like she says.**_

_**While I feel like I've drunken ten expressos, riiiight.**_

Conan looked at his wrist _**Why not?**_

He changed into a nightshirt he had worn a month ago. During Dr. Agasa's numerous test's he had discovered clothing and transforming didn't really make a good combo. The night shirt was loose enough not to constrict his movement or be damaged in the event of an accidental transformation, but still provided modesty. Truthfully, when in his transformed state not much thought was given to modesty, which worried him.

**_Don't think about that now. Concentrate on the task at hand. _**He pressed a button which flipped up the crosshairs on his watch. The tip of an anesthetic needle poked out. _**Okay, time to see what the old man goes through on a regular basis.**_

He poked the tip of his finger with the needle and within seconds was fast asleep.

$S

"See, I _told_ you you'd have a good time!"

Ran smiled, stretching like a cat. "Okay, I admit it, there's nothing like shopping to relax you after a hard day."

Sonoko crowed in victory, her arms laden with shopping bags that cost more than the monthly income at the detective agency. "All we need now are a couple of hunky boys. And wouldn't tonight be a perfect night for romance, I mean look at that moon!" she giggled girlishly, pointing to the sky.

_Oh no!!! _Ran stopped dead, cold fingers gripping her heart. She raised her head to the sky, wishing with all her might not to see what she already knew was there.

The full moon floated in the sky, barely visible in the setting sun.

$S

Conan yawned groggily, not sure why he was awake. Everything in him just wanted to go back to sleep; he felt like he was crashing from a ten-expresso caffeine high. Sleep was not coming however. His skin had this weird buzzing feeling to it, kinda like when he changed.

Oh Shit.

Well, he was certainly wide awake _now_.

Fortunately his transformation hadn't seemed to go very far. He had fangs and claws (which looked very odd on his still human hands), but the fur and tail hadn't started to grow in yet. It seemed the change happened slower during the full moon than with adrenaline.**_ Probably because when there's a lot of adrenaline being dumped in my system, it means theoretically I have to be at my physical best then and there. No such rush with the moon, I'll have to tell the Doc about that._**

**_I'm supposed to be at the Doc's house by now! What happened to Ran!_**

In almost a panic, he shot out of his room, seeking any trace of his guardian, but the apartment was as empty as it had been when he'd gotten home.

A slow panic had started to set in when, much to his relief, the sound of footsteps echoed up the steps. The relief was short lived, however, when the smell of alcohol waffed past his sensitive nose_ **No No No! Not Him! Can't let him see me! Gotta hide! Gotta hide!**_

Almost completely transformed by now, Conan ran into the first door he came across, which turned out to be Ran's bedroom. He pulled the door closed just as Kogoro opened the door to the apartment.

"Ish ahnybaudy thar?" slurred the detective. Obviously drunk, but nowhere near drunk enough to pass out, as Conan had hoped.

Fate, as always, did not seem to be on the little werewolf's side as he heard the great defective's footstep's approach his daughter's room. The werewolf silently cursed himself for not having his voice changer on him. Sure it might be a little tricky to explain when Ran got home after she had told her father she was going to bed early, but he'd take it. In a last ditch effort at hiding, Conan ducked into the closet.

He heard Kogoro enter the room, looking around for whatever he had heard. Conan felt his heart stop when he heard Kogoro's footsteps right outside the closet. The door began to open…

$S

_How could I have been so stupid? Why wasn't I watching the time! _Ran would have kicked herself, but that would have meant stopping her mad dash. She was almost home and praying that she got there in time.

Of course she knew very well how the day had gotten away from her. The truth of the matter was she had been so tense this past month , going shopping with Sonoko felt like a day at the spa.

But the crux of the matter was, on today more than any other day, she had a responsibility, and she'd blown it. She could only hope that Conan had gone ahead to Agasa's or that her father was out drinking or something.

Her hope for the second issue died as she saw the lights on in the detective agency. Conan may have been doing a lot better psychologically, but he still felt a lot of shame from his new form. If he was stuck home alone, he'd make sure all the lights were turned off to minimize the chance of someone seeing him.

This was not good.

Not slowing down for a second she ran up the stairs and burst into the apartment. Sitting in the living room was her father, a serious look on his face. The kind that meant she was in big trouble. Ran felt her heart jump into her throat as she saw the now-familiar canine figure hunched in a ball next to her father's chair.

"Ran," he said in a calm, but angry voice, gesturing to the werewolf. "How long did you think you could keep _this_ a secret from me?"

$S$S

Anomaly:I'm glad you thought it was good. See my profile for the reason for the long updating time.

starfruit-22: Glad you find the story interesting. And thanks for the luck, I need all I can get

Wolven Angel: Ah, a fellow Icka fan I take it. And while it's true that Ran doesn't know the secret behind her father's success, don't forget that Conan solves murder cases all the time with the Shonen tantei.

Phoebe Holly: grins

YumeTakato: I'll try to slow the pace down a bit. And hear that Conan, no more hide and seek!

Conan: #Pouts#

Xeno: Nope, not at all. Well, unless he lost his temper, like if someone was trying to hurt Ran.

Snickerer: #smiley face# Thanks for all the reviews! And for pointing out your favorite parts/ lines. It really cheers me up (dunno why, but it does)

Jewely: Danke

DiamondSapphire: not as good?  I must work harder!

shadow Okami:#smiles# Glad you think the story's cool!

Juli-chan: Don't apologize for rambling, I like it! You had some cool ideas.

Engelina: Glad you liked it

Kayla: _Finally_ someone looked at the pic #smiley face#. And trust me, that's not the end. That would be a very crappy end. And I swear on the name of Aoyama Gosho that I will finish this!.

Inumaru12: Sorry about your computer troubles. Thanks for sticking with me,

Hrtofdrkns: Yup, Conan makes a very cute puppy #smiley face#

Jonakhensu: #takes a minute to figure out what you mean, then promptly blushes#


	7. Ran's New Puppy

* * *

Quote: "Shut up and Die" – Brian, "Family Guy"

* * *

AN: If you know what that line refers to, you will be aware of a certain _issue_ which comes up this chapter # snickers # 

**Chapter 7, Ran's New Puppy**

"Well Ran, how long have you been hiding a dog in your closet?"

"I ..Uhh…….What?" Ran's brain was trying so hard to come up with a way out of this, she almost missed what her father had said.

"The dog, Ran, the one I found in your closet" Again Kogoro gestured at Conan as if there was another 'dog' in the room.

Ran almost sighed in relief. It also explain why Conan hadn't tried talking to her, he was trying to keep the illusion that he was a dog going. "Oh, _that_ dog. He's not mine, I was just watching him for a friend."

"You know we're not allowed pets. And where's Conan?"

"He's at a sleepover." Ran fibbed "And don't worry, the dog'll be gone in the morning." _And back next month, whether he likes it or not._

"Hmph," Kogoro relaxed, a lot more at ease now that he realized there wasn't another mouth to feed. "So what's the mutts name anyways?"

"…"

$S

"That was too close" declared Ran, her heart rate still nowhere near normal.

"You're telling me" muttered the werewolf. "I felt like I was in on of those bad horror movies waiting for him to open the closet door." Conan's ears and tail drooped, "I hate this stupid werewolf thing."

Ran heart sank. "I'm sorry I was late."

"It's okay, this just shows us we should have had a better contingency plan in place. This dog idea is workable for a while." He sighed, "We should probably get some props. A leash and collar, a dog tag, stuff like that. Oh yeah, Ran-neechan?"

"Yes?"

"When he asked what my name was, why did you have to say 'Shinichi'?"

"It was the first name that popped into my head." Ran explained, "I don't know why you're so upset about, I thought you idolized your cousin.

#sigh# "It's fine."_** And to think, not too long ago I'd have given just about anything to hear her call me that. Damn you irony.**_

$S

"Awwww Your dog is soooooo cuuuuuuute" cooed the pet store lady, scratching Conan roughly behind his ears.

_**Please get this crazy lady away from me**_ Conan silently prayed, _**That hurts!**_

"What breed is he anyway?" she asked, blatantly ignoring all Conan's attempts to put as much distance between him and her as possible.

"He's a mixed breed, part wolf." Ran answered, half-truth's coming easier to her than blatant lies. Seeing Conan's obvious discomfort, Ran scooped him up. "About the nametag?"

"Oh right." The sales lady typed something into the computer. The nametag machine made a small grinding noise (which made Conan wince) and popped out a small tag that read "Shinichi" with Dr. Agasa's address on the back. She attached the tag to the red collar Ran had selected and snapped the collar on Conan's neck.

"Absolutely adorable! Whose a good boy?" The sales lady resumed the rough petting, switching her tone to a baby voice that grated on Conan's nerves.

He twisted out of Ran's grasp and hid behind her while Ran paid for the tag, collar, and leash.

"Oh, he's shy." The sales lady apparently did not know when to quit, "Well I know how to fix that." Out of seemingly nowhere she pulled a green rubber chew toy shaped like a bone. "A special treat for such a cute puppy." Conan took it reluctantly, not wanting to seem unusual.

"Sorry" Ran whispered apologetically as she snapped the leash around the collar. Out loud she said "Come on Shin-chan, let's go home"

_**Thank God**_ thought Conan. _**I'm finally getting away from her.**_

They were almost out the door when the sales lady called out to them. "Wait, I almost forgot" She ran after them and handed Ran several pamphlets.

"What are these?" asked Ran, confused.

"Well with all the strays out there, it's important to get your pet fixed as soon as possible. I recommend Dr. Meyer, he's neutered all my pets and…"

Ran felt the leash pull out of her hand. "Co-Shinichi come back!'

$S

It took her three blocks to catch up to the panicked werewolf pup. "Conan stop. I can't run that fast"

He finally stopped running. "I can't take this anymore Ran-neechan. I can't! I'm not a dog, I'm not a wolf, I'm _human_!"

Ran sat down next to him and pulled him into her lap. "This was a bad idea."

"No. It was a good idea. I'm sorry too. I _know_ I'm not human but I wasn't ready to admit it." He sighed. "Being an animal is **worse** than being a kid. You can't say anything if people are bothering you, you have to be kept on a leash, and …" Conan shuddered, the pamphlets obviously still in his mind. "I know there are a lot strays, Ran-neechan, but I don't think I support neutering anymore."

Ran laughed, though there wasn't very much humor in her voice. "Let's go. Dr. Agasa's probably wondering where we are. Who knows, maybe he has good news."

$S

"Where have you been?" inquired Agasa worriedly, "I was expecting you hours ago."

"Don't ask." muttered Conan, unclipping the leash around his neck and scurrying inside. "This is not something I want to have to get used to."

"Nice collar" Ai commented to Conan, who stuck his tongue out at her.

"Please tell me you have something." Ran pleaded, collapsing on the couch

"Actually I have made a lot of progress, and found something that may help." The scientist said proudly, though his pride was moderated. He never would have gotten half this done if it wasn't for Ai.

"You're kidding, you found a cure!" exclaimed Conan. For the first time in a month true hope shone from his eyes.

"Not quite." The light quickly faded from Conan's eyes "But I did manage to isolate the virus."

"Virus?" Ran and Conan asked in stereo.

"The 'curse'," Agasa explained, ignoring the interruption, " is actually a virus transmitted via saliva. Now when most viruses enter a host cells, they simply replicate until antibodies attack and destroy the virus. This virus actually rewrites the host cell's DNA before replicating. After the virus saturates the victim's body, it dies out except in the victim's saliva. Then when the host bites someone, that person is infected and so on. That's part of the reason I had so much trouble finding it's before. The change is genetic."

"Rewrites the host cell's DNA. That doesn't sound promising for a cure," said Conan doubtfully.

Agasa's smile deflated completely. "To be perfectly frank, a cure is probably impossible-"

Conan slumped down, his ears and tail drooping.

"-but now that we know _something_ we aren't helpless. In fact, I've got a little something that will help." H pulled a test tube holding a brown liquid out of his pocket.

"Smells like chocolate" said Conan.

"That's because I mixed it with chocolate to improve the taste. It's a serum that will effectually kill the virus in the host's saliva. One dose each morning, and you won't have to worry about accidentally infecting anyone."

Conan snorted, "I wasn't planning on biting anyone."

Agasa fixed him with an uncharacteristically hard look, "And the Monster wasn't planning on you surviving. Things happen that we don't expect. A scuffle gets out of hand. A suspect tries to keep you from making noise by clamping his hand over your mouth, and you first instinct is…"

"To bite" Conan admitted.

"I'm also working on a calming agent. Something that might help stop you from changing if you're scared or stressed out. I should have it ready soon"

"Thanks Doc." Said Conan gratefully. "For everything"

$S

Conan yawned. As Ran had predicted, they had been up most of the night. Still he was back in his human skin and that was what mattered. The leash and collar were stored in a shoebox at Dr. Agasa's. At least till next month.

"We need a better plan" he pointed out, "We can't go hide at Agasa's every full moon."

Ran yawned back, "We can think about that later. Right now I'm so tired I – Conan, what's wrong?"

The young werewolf had stopped dead. He sniffed the air purposely.

"Ran, I smell blood. Lots of blood" Without another word he took of for home as fast as he could.

$S

_Werewolves_ Ran mused _were very fast._ "Conan what's wron-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Ran collapsed at the bloodbath that was the Mori Apartment. There was blood splatter on all the walls and the furniture. The upholstery was shredded and the chairs and tables had been smashed.

"Oh my god dad, DAD!"

"He's in here!" Conan called from the adjoining room.

$S

Inspector Megure shook his head. "Okay doc, what can you tell me."

The doctor looked at his notes. "The subject was subject to severe mauling, characteristic of claws.. He lost a dangerous amount of blood and sustained some organ damage and broken bones. And the amount of alcohol in his system isn't helping."

Megure bit down his urge to flinch. "So we're dealing with a wild animal, like the "Monster".

The doctor shook his head. "First of all, the Monster, being a wild animal, only attacks in rural areas, not an urban setting. Secondly, there were no bite marks, a staple of Monster Attacks. I think we're dealing with a human copycat."

The inspector's eyes narrowed "You seem to know a lot about the Monster"

The doctor snorted, "After the attack on Conan, I made it my business to know. I was worried the child would need psychological counseling." He sighed. "If he didn't before he certainly will now."

"Anything Mori can tell us?"

"I don't think you quite understand the extent of Mr. Mori's injuries. He's going to be in IC for sometime. And the only thing he said before he went under was "He wants the cub"

$S

"It's me," Conan whispered.

"W-What?" asked Ran, her face red from crying.

"I was listening in on Megure and the Doctor." Conan answered, horrified. "The Monster came here because he's looking for me!"

$SS$

AN: In case anyone's reading this who hasn't read Shift (you should), the Media got a hold of Conan's nickname for the werewolf that attacked him (though official consensus is that the attacks were made by a wild animal), which is why Megure and the doctor are also referring to him as the "Monster"

Also for those not familiar with 'Family Guy' Brian is the family dog. The quote was made in response to a commercial he saw about getting your dogs neutered #snicker again#

$S

DiamondSappire – At least I'm improving. # sheepish grin #

Psycho King – Here's to not being typical #cheers#

Flava Sava – Well he always seems to be angry at Conan over something…

YumeTakato – heh heh heh # hides #

Inumaru12 – eee mini-skit kawaii! Yeah, I've had the same problem with pop-up blockers

Engelina – I will continue to endeavor to make good chapters!

Jewely – I'll try to keep it up

starfruit-22 – Glad you ike the story and thanks for the well wishes, I could use all the luck I can get

anomaly – It won't be forgotten. If nothing else I'll finish this story and Cracked Reflections.

Snickerer – "Big Bad" was a lot of fun. And you know, I never thought about Ran flaking out as karmic retribution on Shinichi. Is true though. And yeah, you guess right about the puppy thing.

Juli-chan – Always glad to see a reader come back. Sorry I took so long on this chapter.


	8. The Last Midnight

* * *

_Running away, we'll do it.  
Why sit around, resigned?  
Trouble is, son, the farther you run,  
The more you'll be wandering blind.  
For what you have left undone, and more,  
What you've left behind._

___-No More, Into the Woods,_

* * *

AN: I know it's been a while, but I haven't been idle. TIM and TIA took/is taking a lot of time. Not to mention I've been revamping the entire story (extending scenes, fixing grammer, etc), so give it a reread before reading this chapter. It's much better I promise! 

**Chapter 8**. **The Last Midnight**

"Are you serious Conan," Mistuhiko asked excitedly.

"You better not joke about something as important as this!" Genta warned.

Ai said nothing.

"It's no joke." Conan pulled out five tickets. "These are all day passes at Tropical Land. With these we can get in and ride all the rides all day long without having to pay for them individually."

"This is so awesome!" squealed Ayumi.

"What should we ride first?"

Conan smiled sadly as he and the other kids walked to the bus.

S$

"Bumper cars!"

"Roller coaster!"

"TiltaWhirl!"

"Don't forget the Kamen Yaiba show." Conan reminded them.

Ai said nothing.

S$

"I can't believe they have an all you can eat pizza shop next to Tropical Lands," cheered Genta as he dug into a macaroni and cheese pizza.

"I can't believe macaroni and cheese pizza actually exists," said Mitsuhiko in an awed voice.

"Conan...are you crying?" asked Ayumi, shocked.

Conan blinked and wiped his cheek, surprised at the tears he rubbed away. "I..."

"OH GOD HE'S DEAD!"

The Shonen Tantei sprang into action, Conan's mysterious tears forgotten by all but Ai, who as always, kept her silence.

S$

"We rule!" declared Mitsuhiko as the children walked home.

"I can't wait for our next case, right Conan?"

Conan stopped. His jaw worked as if he wanted to say something but no sound came out.

By now it was obvious to all the children that something was very wrong with their friend. "Conan, what's wrong?"

"My-my Mom's coming tonight."

The children's eyes lit up. "Conan that's great! I've never even seen your mother." Ayumi gushed.

"You don't look very happy about it?" Mitsuhiko inquired.

"She's taking me back to America. Today was my goodbye to you guys."

The announcement hit the kids like a bolt of lightning. None of them said anything for a long time, trying to wrap their minds around the concept. Ayumi leaned against a nearby fence, her face visibly paler.

"She can't do that!" Genta broke the silence with a roar. "She can't break up the team."

"She's my mother. She's worried about me," Conan explained, "especially since the Monster attacked our home. I'm going to try to talk her into letting me stay, but..."

But what mother in her right mind would let her only son stay in a home that had already been attacked?

"I don't want you to go!" Ayumi cried, grabbing him in a big hug.

"I...I don't want to go either." By now Conan was crying too. The kids were someone the best friends he ever had and the thought of never seeing them again was painful.

Ai bowed her head and whispered softly enough that only Conan could hear "Are you really so certain you're going to die tonight?"

Conan, still trying to comfort Ayumi, merely nodded.

S$

"Everything ready?" Conan asked as he and Ai entered Agasa's house.

Agasa nodded. "We've collected everything silver that we could possibly use as a weapon from our houses. If the Monster shows up, he'll be in for a world of pain."

"Good." Conan answered with no emotion in his voice. "Is Ran here?"

"She's in the kitchen, making tea. Are you alright?" Dr. Agasa asked, concerned.

"I'm...fine. Just a little scared about tonight. The werewolf confessed.

The scientist grinned. "Well, don't be. We're all behind you in this. He'll have to go through us to get to you."

"I know." said Conan in the same voice. "I'm going to help Ran with the tea."

"You do realize that was perhaps the worst way to try to cheer him up." Ai commented dryly. _What with his martyr syndrome and all_...

A few minutes later, Conan came back carrying some tea cups while Ran brought out a kettle. She poured them each a cup and handed it out.

"I'm going to go upstairs and change. You now, for when I _change_."

Ran nodded at him and he left.

"He's still blaming himself." Agasa observed, taking a long sip of the tea.

"I know," said Ran, sipping her own quietly. "I hope being able to stop that by catching the real source of the problem. The Monster is the one responsible for...for..." Ran suddenly found it hard to string words together.

A few minutes later Conan came downstairs, dressed in loose fitting sweats. He shared a look with Ai, then swiftly ran out the door. 

S$

The darkened streets had never looked so menacing. To actually be in the detective agency would have left him cornered. He may be dying tonight but he wasn't going going to make it easy on the Monster.

At least there wasn't anyone else loitering around. If someone had been there at the wrong time and gotten caught up in the fight, he'd never forgive himself.

It was funny. He was expecting to be in a panic by now, but all he felt was calm._ I guess there something to be said for going quietly into the night after all._

It was then that two things hit him at once. One was a trio of footsteps fast approaching from downwind and a familiar scent approaching approaching from upwind.

**_Oh you have got to be kidding me!_**

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Conan hissed at this friends, barely able to keep his fangs from forming.

The kids looked startled. "We came to talk to your Mom." Genta explained. "Geeze have a little gratitude."

Conan shook his head. "You have to get out of here NOW!"

"Conan, what's wrong.?" Ayumi asked tentatively. "You can tell us."

"I can't. You don't understand, he's coming!"

"Hello pup."

The voice was cold and gravely. It took all of Conan's willpower to turn around and look him in the eyes. As he took in his would be killer's face he felt his heart stop. **_It can't be_**...

"RUN!" he shouted at the Shonen Tantei, whirling around "You have to get out of here, RUN!" The shot of adrenaline running through his system was the final straw. Horror etched the faces of the three as they watched their friend quickly change into something else. They looked up at the man who had scared him and saw his face already beginning to contort to an inhuman form.

Overcome with fright they ran.

S$

"CONAN'S A WEREWOLF!!!" The kids screamed as they ran into Dr. Agasa's house. Their proclamation, though, garnered neither the desired shock and horror, nor the expected 'What vivid imaginations!'. There was only silence. As one the three children peered into the living room. At the same time their faces paled as they saw the collapsed forms of Ran and Dr. Agasa, shattered teacups at their feet, the tea having had long since become a stain on the carpet. 

"They're dead!" Ayumi shrieked.

"They're not dead, just asleep." Ai's hushed voice startled the other three. "Conan put a sleeping drug in their tea." The young scientist's face was blotchy and her eyes red, as though she had been crying.

"Conan-"

"I HATE HIM!" Ai suddenly screamed. "He didn't even _try_ to drug me, like he thought I was so much of a coward I would let him go to his death without trying to stop him and...and," she began to sob, "and he was right."

"'Go to his death?' What's going on?" Ayumi's voice was small, as though she didn't really want to hear the answer.

Ai swallowed. "The werewolf that bit him came back to kill him. We've been working on a plan all month to stop him, but it looks like Conan had other ideas. He's going to let the Monster kill him so none of us will be hurt or killed."

S$

_Of all the luck. I should have known better._ All he had wanted was that no one else die tonight. Now his killer knew his friends faces and scents. Of course with what he knew now there was a greater chance that the werewolf would leave them alone. But it was far from a certainty, and one he wasn't willing to risk. All he could do was the lead the monster further away.

The boost to his speed he had gained since acquiring lycanthropy meant nothing now. The full grown werewolf after his tail was _way_ faster and stronger. The only advantage Conan had at the moment was his size, being able to duck into tiny spots enough times that the monster couldn't get him, but not enough to make him decide it would be easier to hunt down the children.

Distracted by his worry for the Shonen Tantei, Conan slowed down enough that the larger wolf was finally able to nick him. He screamed into the night as he collapsed and prepared for the end.

The end was delayed, however, when something whacked the huge beast across the face, causing it to rear back.

"Leave our friend alone!" Genta yelled at the beast.

Conan's momentary relief at not quite dying yet extinguished at the prospect of his friends once again being in danger. "Get out of here, it's dangerous!" he yelled.

"Take your own advice!" Mistuhiko threw back as he loaded another silver coin into a slingshot.

Conan's fear was realized as the other werewolf jumped over him and landed in front of the children. They tried to scatter, but the werewolf grabbed Ayumi.

The poor girl was terrified as she was lifted up to his face, her eye's level with those horrible white teeth.

"Ayumi!" Genta, Mitsuhiko, and Conan cried out. The monster seemed to react to the name.

"Came back to me." Unlike Conan, the larger werewolf seemed to have trouble speaking. "I kill and you come back. If I kill more, more come back?"

Suddenly he roared and dropped her, thrashing around. He grabbed the small figure that had climbed onto his head and slammed it down with enough force to break some bones.

Despite this, Conan managed to prop himself up slightly. His lips were pulled back in a growl, his teeth stained with blood from where he'd bitten the monster's ear. "You want to kill me FINE! But don't you dare touch her or any member of my pack again!"

Any semblance of human intelligence faded from the attackers eyes as he moved to finish the young cub. A sudden bang filled the air and it reared back, blood pouring from the gunshot wound in his shoulder as well as a hissing smoke.

A few yards away Dr. Agasa was reloading his shotgun.

With a final snarl the monster fled, knowing he was outmatched. As soon as he retreated, Conan collapsed. His friends were safe, that was all he needed.

Ai ran out of Agasa's car, dragging a large medical kit behind. When she reached the unconscious werewolf she quickly felt his ribs and limbs. "This is bad. He's got several broken bones and just because he'll heal fast doesn't mean he'll heal correctly. We need to set the bones quickly."

"First we need to get out of here, people will react to the gunshot." Asasa pointed out.

Delicately Ran lifted Conan in the car. It was a tight fit, but they managed., Conan lying across their laps in the backseat.

"Ai?" Ayumi whispered. "Why didn't he tell us? Didn't he trust us?"

Ai bit the lie that was forming on her tongue. This was a case where the truth would serve well enough. "He saw himself as a monster. He couldn't bear for you to see him that way too. I guess he wanted to be remembered as what he was instead of what he became."

Her bowed head did little to hide Ayumi's tears. Tonight a memory was very close to being all that was left of Conan. "We wouldn't-"

"You know that, I know that, Ran knows that. Everyone but Conan knows that. He was getting better, but after Mouri was attacked, he couldn't imagine himself being seen as anything else." Ai sighed. She knew her answers would be insufficient to the hurt and confused children. There was a lot that needed explaining and only one person who could do it.

Conan may have avoided certain death tonight, but the hardest part was just beginning.

S$$S

Random AN: Macaroni and cheese pizza does exist. It also rocks.

S$

**Psycho King:** Closer to the calm before the storm, I think.

**Flava Sava: **To kill, of course.

**YumeTakato: **And you thought I took forever last time...

**DiamondSapphire:** YAY (you're still reading this right?)

**The Halfa Wannabe:** I had a keyboard like that. I hope it got fixed

**Jewely:** Danke!

**Tabbytha: **That mostly depends on what he's wearing. Nothing like the Hulk clothes ripping effect would occur. Something as exact fitting as his usual suit would rip a bit at the seams since the body isn't the right shape anymore. A loose nightshirt or sweats would be fine (although sweatpants are a bit uncomfortable with the tail)

**Inumaru12:** Unfortunately, Conan got more depressed than angry. He has however reached the point where he could change during the day if he wanted to. He just has yet to want to.

**Snickerer:** Go ahead and laugh at Conan's misfortune, that's why it's there. And yeah, no bites so as not to create any more werewolves.

**Engelina:** Glad to entertain.

**anomaly:** I try

**Colormyworld:** I never seem to manage 'soon'. I try though.

**Taylor Boylen:** Wolves Rock. I seem to come up with unusual ideas for fanfic, and I'm glad others like them.

**meta kirby:** Yes sir!

**candidus-lupus-full Moon:** -blushes- Thank you

**Aaron the Fox:** A cold? Oh man he'd hate that: A wolf with his nose all stuffed up, that's worse than a giraffe woith a sore throat.

**wolfgirl:** I'm evil with cliffhangers. Sorry.

**KaidaHikari:** More chapters coming right up.

**vgcatsfan:** My main focus is TIA, but I will try to work more on this.


End file.
